Integrated circuit chips are conventionally enclosed in a package that provides protection from environmental conditions and enables electrical interconnection between the semiconductor chip and another electrical component, such as a printed circuit board or a motherboard. A semiconductor package may include a supporting leadframe having leads, a semiconductor chip electrically coupled to the leadframe, and an encapsulating material molded over a surface of the leadframe and the chip.
Leadframe packages are used in packaging semiconductor chips because of their low manufacturing cost and high reliability. However, the cost advantage of leadframe decreases with an increase in the complexity of the packaging. For example, packages requiring integration of multiple chips require the use of more expensive leadframes due to the increase in package size and process complexity.